Red Carnations
by YummyYugi
Summary: Kokuro is a bold, young girl - outspoken and sure of herself. That is, unless Uchiha Shisui is nearby. Pink cheeks, pounding hearts, and stomachs full of butterflies are their gifts to one another, and they enjoy every moment. It's a good thing they do, for their innocent love is just as beautiful as it is short lived.
1. Chapter 1

The first time she sees him, he's sitting on the back deck with her older brother. One leg dangles off the edge, the other is bent for his arm to rest on. His handsome face is tilted back to soak up the sun's rays, and his full lips are curved slightly in a small smile as he listens to his companion speak.

Her tiny feet stutter in their stride towards the two boys, and her greeting gets caught in her throat. Ebony, doe eyes are wide on the stranger, glued to his charming features. She isn't sure why, but she's become nervous, an unfamiliar feeling for the young, bold Uchiha princess.

In her hesitance, the boy opens his own onyx eyes and looks her way, curious to the new presence. She briefly wonders how he knew she approached, but gets her answer when the sun flashes off of his headband.

_Shinobi._

He smiles in a friendly way, but she does not meet his eyes. Her face has grown warm. She doesn't like the way her heart spasms when he looks at her...but she doesn't want him to stop.

Confronted with such a new sensation, and unsure of what to do, she quickly scuttles to her brother. With shaky hands she shoves the bento made by their mother into his arms, spins on her heel, and races back towards the house. Her brother's chuckle chases after her, and she runs from it - her face growing hotter along the way.

Slightly panicked, she trips over the threshold to the kitchen. She has no time to respond to her confused mother, or inspect her stubbed toe as she scrambles for a place to hide, and she slams the door behind her once inside her room.

Her mother, Mikoto, blinks worriedly, debating whether she should check on her daughter, or ask her son if he could supply some answers to her strange behavior.

Neither is necessary. The young girl opens the door a crack, a single eye peering out meekly.

"Okaa-san?" She calls quietly.

"Yes, Kokuro?"

"Who is that...with Itachi?"

Mikoto relaxes, and turns back to the dishes. She tries in vain to keep the smile from her voice as she answers.

"His name is Shisui-kun, Dear."

A moment passes before the door shuts softly.

Mikoto continues cleaning the kitchen, the smile on her elegant face never waiving once. When her husband returns and questions the cause, her upturned lips turn Cheshire when she imagines his reaction to his princess's first crush.

The second time she sees him, he's knocking at her front door. She answers, and goes rigid when she sees who is on the other side.

She is unprepared once again, but this time she meets his eyes before she realizes whom they belong to. She feels physically trapped staring into those dark depths surrounded by unfairly long lashes, unable to look away.

He smiles, and it's an effortlessly handsome thing.

"Hello," he says. Boys his age are still growing, and his voice is not quite done changing, but its deepening rasp makes her heart beat faster all the same.

She is unable to find her voice when she goes looking for it, but manages to give him a nod.

"I didn't get to introduce myself last time," he says, and bows politely. "I am Uchiha Shisui."

She stands still, entranced by the way his raven hair seems to absorb the noontime sunshine - taking the light for itself with no shine. It gives him a mysterious kind of look, and she isn't immune to the effect.

He straightens slightly, tilting his head to the side curiously at her silence, and catches her eyes once again. She stares at him for longer than what is probably appropriate before realizing he is waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Kokuro!" She blurts quickly, turning a darker shade of red at how graceless it sounded. Her etiquette sensei would be ashamed. Before she is ready, she tries again without better results. "Uchiha Kokuro!"

Her face is hot, too hot, and suddenly she doesn't really care what her sensei would think. She throws manners right out the window, and promptly shuts the door in the cute boy's too cute face.

She makes a beeline for her room, ignoring her brother who asks who is at the door. Mikoto can recognize her daughter's antics this time around, and tells Itachi to let his friend in.

Over the course of Shisui's visit, Mikoto pointedly ignores the gap that periodically appears in Kokuro's doorway - for her daughter's sake as well as the young Shisui's. But though he is young, Shisui is a shinobi, and has been so for half a decade. He can feel young eyes on his person, but he does not mind.

As a matter of fact, he rather enjoys the attention.

The third time she sees him, he comes bearing gifts - a lovely handful of freshly plucked flowers just for her.

She blushes, though it's hard to tell when her rounded cheeks are blotchy and streaked with tears. She wipes at them with the oversized sleeves of her purple kimono, and reaches out a little hand for the bouquet.

Shisui hands her the blooms, and watches as she pulls them close to her chest - smiling through her tears. Her bashful smile eases his worry brought by her sadness, and he grins in return. After a moment's hesitation, he joins her on the large boulder.

She sniffles, rubbing a tiny finger along a smooth petal. No one has given her flowers before. Something inside of her tummy grows fuzzy, and causes her toes to wiggle.

She glances at him through wet lashes, "Thank you."

The handsome boy just smiles with soft eyes, and Kokuro subconsciously holds the flowers tighter. In a moment of rare clarity in his presence, her brain forms a question.

"How did you know I was here?"

"I followed you."

She blushes, realizing he must have heard her father scold her before she fled.

"Don't be upset with him for long," Shisui says maturely. She pouts, but can not argue when he looks so understanding. "He only wants the best for you, and sometimes we cannot see what is best with our own eyes."

Her young mind doesn't fully agree, her father can be particularly one sided, but she doesn't get the chance to voice it before he speaks again.

"Do you come to this place when you're upset?" He asks, gesturing to the crystal clear brook and surrounding forest.

Kokuro nods, now tracing the petals of a different blossom. "I like the sound," she explains, nodding towards the small creek. The water bubbles between rocks and giggles over itself in easy harmony, and Shisui can see why it soothes her.

"Hm," the young shinobi intones, "I'll have to stop by here often, then." Kokuro looks at him with pinched brows, and he laughs softly at her confused face. "Just in case you're upset, and need to be cheered up."

And she suddenly feels _very_ happy. It occurs to her that just as she watches Shisui, Shisui is watching her in his own way.

That fuzzy feeling in her tummy grows, and she smiles without choice. The third time she sees him is the last time they meet as strangers, and it is the beginning of a rapidly approaching end.


	2. Chapter 2

It is a full house at the clan head's home when every member of the family is present. Mikoto sets up the plates, and Kokuro mimics the graceful mannerisms of her mother as she fills the table with food and dishes.

Fugaku thanks his wife with a nod, and continues his conversation with his eldest. Itachi bows his own head when his sister places his meal in front of him, and little Sasuke is quick to copy the movement. Kokuro can't help but stroke his dark hair lovingly. He's absolutely adorable. His proud smile is missing a few teeth, but it will obviously be a handsome grin one day.

It was a normal night, even with one extra body at the dinner table. It isn't strange for Shisui to share an evening meal with them. Over the last few years, his face became a normal one to see in their residence, being so close to Itachi, and such a respected member of the clan. So, like always, he takes his usual seat next to the eldest child.

Kokuro doesn't care by what means he became such a frequent visitor, just that he is. So she sits across from him at the dinner table happily, having grown a tad more confident when he comes around. Just a tad.

She is still too nervous to speak to him directly with so many eyes and ears around, not that she has anything strange to say. For some reason, though it had lessened, her shyness still lingers. It's why she settles for quick looks at his charming face, and timid smiles between bites of her mother's delicious cooking - she doesn't have the bravery to do much else.

Halfway through the meal and chitchat, "Kokuro."

At the sound of her father's voice, Kokuro comes out of her thoughts, and immediately gives him her attention.

"Yes, Otou-san?"

Fugaku does not look up from his meal, and continues to eat with an intimidating grace men can only gain from life as a ninja - or being raised as a prestigious clan head (or both, in his case). After a swallow, he says in his demanding tone, "You are approaching the age at which courtship is appropriate."

Her heart flutters at the subject, and Kokuro tries and fails to keep her eyes from darting towards their dinner guest. With force, she snaps her eyes back to her father at the head of the table, and waits with concealed impatience for him to continue.

"Chuhei and Dokuji have expressed interest in pairing their son with you." She almost frowns, but stops the indignant expression in time before it can get her into trouble.

Her father is a strict and decisive man, even with his little girl. If he is speaking of this matter to his children, it means he has already made up his mind. An ache builds in her chest as the hope she didn't know she had begins to die.

"A-Akira-kun?" She asks weakly. "He seems...nice, but," her eyes begin to stray to the fetching boy across from her, unable to accept what she knows is coming.

"I will accept their request."

If food had been in her mouth, she would have choked. As it is, she stutters out, "B-But Otou-"

"This is not a debate," he says forcefully.

She knows better than to argue, but it still doesn't stop her. "But I don't _like_ Akira-kun!" Her voice is a bit louder than she means it to be, but she must be heard. Surely, her father wouldn't force her to date a boy she does not want to be with so long as she makes it known? He couldn't be that demanding, could he?

Her father doesn't give her the opportunity to sway him. With a sharp smack, Fugaku slaps down his chopsticks and sets a heavy look upon her. She jumps at the sound, dark eyes wide. Her rash bravery falters under his heavy, black stare. "That boy has a family history of strong Uchiha, and a wealth that would be beneficial to you in the future. The standing they have in our community would do nothing but compliment ours. I need not explain those things to you, but now I have."

"I don't care about those things," she says in a tiny voice, using the last of her courage.

"_Enough_," he barks, and she cringes away from the force of his refusal. "As a clan heir, you must do things in the best interest of the future generations, not yourself." Fugaku's voice and eyes have grown quite harsh. "You should know this by now, as well as possess the manners to hold your tongue in front of guests," he picks up his chopsticks again. "I'll have to tell your girei sensei to cover the basics on your next etiquette lesson. Your mother did not birth a mannerless commoner." He begins eating once more, having spoken his piece on the matter.

_Please_, she wants to say, but knows it won't help. Her hand shakes as she picks up her own utensils. She's sure the lump in her throat will hinder her ability to swallow, but she puts a piece of chicken in her mouth anyway. It's tasteless, but she chews mechanically in hopes that comfort will come from the mundane motion while she tries keeping her reddening face downwards - hiding her tears from those at the table who look at her pityingly from the corner of their eyes.

Her father is not immune to the feeling. Something in Fugaku twinges at his daughter's pretty face so crestfallen, but she must learn to accept these parts of life. He knows a day will come when she understands his choices. Hopefully, that day she will even see that he took her wishes into consideration, as well.

His eyes are skilled in more ways than just battle hardened sharingan. He sees the way she looks at young Shisui, but the boy is older. The age gap may not be a concern in the future but as of now, the young shinobi is far too busy with missions and clan business. Who's to say Shisui would be interested in the first place? Fugaku cannot pair her with a suitor that does not wish to be paired.

From the corner of his eye, he sees movement that focuses him back to the table. It's obvious in its intent and in no way is it attempted to be concealed. Shisui uses his spoon to transfer his sweetened carrots from his plate, to Kokuro's. Immediately, she smiles gratefully at him through the wetness in her eyes. The boy watches affectionately as she eats the gift of her favorite food, and Fugaku gets the hint - even before Shisui looks his way discreetly, but with a clear message.

With a practiced skill, the stoic man remains expressionless, but his mind echoes one word.

_Interesting_.

o0o

Uchiha Shisui is a brave boy - the "stare into the eyes of imminent danger" kind of brave, but not the "speak with your crushes father about your feelings" kind of brave.

Despite his discomfort, he sits tall. His face holds nothing but calm, and his aura exudes confidence. He holds eye contact, and makes sure to leave just the right amount of looseness in his shoulders to put up a front that he is relaxed, and sure of himself.

Inside, Shisui is none of those things. He has just asked to date the clan heiress, and he did so in a way that was _almost_ aggressive.

_Let me court Kokuro._

Where Shisui is a damned good shinobi and hides his nerves well, Fugaku has much more experience, and his face might as well be carved of stone. There's no way to tell if he's considering Shisui's request, or considering banishment for such arrogance.

By the way Fugaku has said nothing for over thirty seconds, Shisui is beginning to think that the confident approach wasn't the best tactic - that, or he just did it incorrectly.

The back of the young boy's neck pricks, and he fights off the nervous sweat trying to form. He wants to roll his eyes at his own jitters. He can take out a squadron of shinobi on his own without so much as flinching, but he can't be brave now?

_Get a grip._

But...is Kokuro just _someone_? She's special to him, of course, but special how? He thought about that before coming to see Fugaku today, but couldn't come up with a definitive answer. It could be a mixture of the age gap, and the fact that they're both so young in the first place, but he doesn't know how to describe what he feels for her. He treasures her the same way he does Itachi, but also differently in a sometimes subtle, sometimes distinct way.

For example, he would go out of his way to cheer up Itachi when he's upset, too. But if Itachi got a girlfriend, he wouldn't lose sleep over it like he did last night thinking about _Akira-kun._

He doesn't know how to put his thoughts into words, but all he really understands is that he did not like hearing of Kokuro's possible boyfriend. Not one bit. Thinking of her paired to himself, however, he likes very much.

So here he is, going on two minutes of silence with his clan head. He wants to say something and end this waiting game - the silence is maddening - but Fugaku finally speaks.

"What makes you worthy?"

Shisui pauses. That's a good question. Other than his raw talent as a shinobi, there isn't anything that sets him apart from the rest of the Uchiha - not in a good way, at least. He's different in the sense that he isn't rolling in ryo like some. He doesn't have a strong family system, or rather, he doesn't have any family left at all. He has a name in the ninja world, but he is no one when it comes to the nobles. In short, he has nothing to give to an heiress like Kokuro.

He isn't worth a damn, and looking into Fugaku's knowing gaze, the older man is aware of it, too. Fighting off shame, Shisui realizes he was never meant to come up with an answer to that question, he was only meant to remember his place. But Kokuro had the odds against her last night, and still did not give up without a fight, so neither would he.

He starts by telling the truth, "Kokuro deserves better than me."

Fugaku's expression does not change. He remains seated stiffly, hands tucked into his sleeves, and waits for Shisui to continue.

"But in my eyes," the younger male says confidently, "no one is worthy. She deserves better than what she has to choose from. So instead of coming with the assets the other candidates possess, I come with the one thing they do not have, and may never acquire." He grows bolder as the truth reassures him, and his eye contact remains steady with the older man's as he gets embarrassingly emotional (by shinobi standards).

"Others may have more than me now, but money can always be lost, homes can always be destroyed, and family can always die - just as money can be earned, a home built, and a family grown. But love," he pauses at such a strong word, but continues when he realizes it feels right to say, "love cannot be forced. Someone cannot be made to care. But because I care, I know that I'm worth more than any other potential suitor. Kokuro deserves to be cared for."

Fugaku is a hard man, but anyone can see the tenderness in his eyes when he looks at his Kokuro, and Shisui can see it now as the father of three thinks of his only daughter.

Unbeknownst to the young shinobi, Fugaku had been debating whether he should seek out Shisui after his display at dinner the previous night. The knock on his office door had to be a sign from above when it was revealed to be Shisui on the other side with a determined look in his eye. However, it isn't enough to simply be interested, or have the interest of his princess. Fugaku had to make sure Shisui meant what he silently said last night, and now he is left with a content feeling in his chest knowing that he would be leaving his Kokuro in capable hands one day.

The man's eyes close for a few moments, and when he opens them again Shisui knows by their rare light that he's about to hear something good.

"I approve."

The boy's heart does a somersault, but he works hard to keep his face from showing it. Instead, he bows deeply uttering, "Thank you very much."

"Hn," Fugaku smirks with his eyes as Shisui straightens, "Why don't you stay for lunch?"

Shisui's satisfaction gets the best of him, and he openly grins back, "I would love to."

o0o

Kokuro sits on her bed. She's wrapped herself so tightly in her quilts, her figure is nothing but swirls of the reds and purples stitched into them. Her room is dark. In her gloom she's closed the crimson curtains on the light of day.

The only ones that come to try and cheer her up are her siblings. Itachi was the first to knock, but she didn't respond. He tried again just a few minutes later with Sasuke in tow. She almost gave in, hearing her baby brother's voice beg longingly, "Nee-san, won't you come play?" But her melancholy held fast, and she ignored them both.

"We'll try again later, Sasuke," Itachi's muffled voice said through the door before they let her be.

Part of her wishes to sneak away. The brook is calling her name, but she is far too afraid to go. Shisui holds true to his word, and he's found her there multiple times, but the thought of his comfort over _this_ makes her all the sadder.

But even if it isn't for her quiet place, she knows she'll have to go outside eventually, but the mere thought of her sudden _boyfriend _still leaves a sting in her eyes. So, today she just wants to mope.

_And what's so wrong with that? _She thinks, her pout growing poutier. _Sometimes moping is healthy, right? _She nods to herself, the blankets scuffing past her hair and creating static. _Right, so I'm not moving from this spot until I'm ready._

There is another soft knock on her door. "Kokuro," her mother calls gently, "lunchtime."

Kokuro does not answer. She doesn't want to eat.

"Kokuro," her mother says again. This time Kokuro can hear the sing song tone, as if her mother has a secret she isn't willing to share, but is apparently willing to flaunt.

The girl doesn't take the bait. Even though her mother can't see it, she juts her chin out stubbornly, turning her head further away from the door. She'll come out when she feels like it!

This time, Mikoto isn't able to finish her sentence, "Shisui-kun is having lunch with us toda-"

At the sound of his name, Kokuro sprints out of bed - her quilts billowing in her wake before fluttering to the floor. Quickly yanking her door open, she makes to sprint past her mother, not knowing what she'll do when she gets to him, but needing to despite that.

Mikoto is faster. Laughing, she halts her daughter by the shoulders, and guides the overexcited girl back into her room. "Do you really want to see him in your sleepwear and bedhead?"

With her mother's help, Kokuro quickly makes herself presentable. Hair smooth, kimono wrinkle free, and even smelling of lilies, Kokuro looks the part of an heiress when she arrives downstairs. However, it's hard to keep that image when she's all but vibrating in giddiness at the sight of Shisui's handsome face.

He smiles, and she does the same automatically. When it's _him_ looking at her that way, she doesn't think she could ever respond differently.

It's now that Kokuro notices her usual seat across from him is taken. Itachi gives her a small quirk of his lips before facing forward again, and her eyes take in the _not_ normally empty seat next to Shisui in mild confusion. No one mentions the change, and she pretends to not have noticed. She all but skips around the table and begins helping her mother set out the food - trying to look unaffected by the young boy of her daydreams.

At some point, she loses the mental battle and looks towards Shisui's dark eyes. He's already looking her way, smiling bigger than he normally allows himself. The girl blushes, because there is something new in that smile. She doesn't know what to make of it, and quickens her pace in setting out chopsticks on the table with her thoughts preoccupied in nervousness. As she lays out the utensils, she keeps looking his way, nearly dropping chopsticks and tripping over her own feet.

Flustered, and to save herself more embarrassment, she finishes and sits in her new seat. She's hyper aware of his presence beside her, and she nearly forgets to join the chorus of "itadakimasu" before eating.

It's silent for the next few minutes, save for the typical clinking and such that comes with a meal. The first to speak, surprisingly, is Fugaku.

"Kokuro."

Her hair swishes as she turns his way. She hesitates, afraid of more foul news, but responds obediently if not warily, "Yes, Otou-san?"

"I've talked to Akira-kun's parents," he says as he prepares his next bite of food, and her heart stills in trepidation. "I have thought more on the subject, and I declined the pairing between you and their son."

Now doing the complete opposite, the muscle in her chest gallops into overdrive. Kokuro is buzzing in place, peeking not so subtly at Shisui, who is smiling into his bowl of rice.

"May I ask why?" She asks with rapidly growing excitement.

Her father takes the bite of rice and vegetables, dragging out the moment and pushing Kokuro near to bursting. He chews leisurely to try her patience - finding it humorous to do so - and when he finally frees his mouth to speak, he informs her, "I have found a better suitor."

He's barely finished before she urges, "You have?"

He takes another bite, and savors the burst of flavor on his taste buds. He chuckles mentally when he sees her jerk, her legs probably kicking out under the table in impatience. When his mouth is free again he replies, "I have. Also, thank your older brother." Kokuro's smile slides from her face to make way for confusion. "Itachi was nice enough to take a different seat," Fugaku says, without looking at her. She takes a disbelieving double take at his mouth, spotting the ghost of a smirk on his lips before it disappeared. "He thought you would want to sit next to your new suitor."

She surprises Fugaku when she remains silent, staring at the side of his face until he turns to meet her eye. Red cheeked and with a smile so large, he fears her pretty face may break in two, she whispers, "Thank you, Otou-san."

Fugaku's lips twitch as he fights away the rising smile. It's harder to do than normal - what with his chest growing so warm- so he nods in an attempt to hide his struggle.

Kokuro cannot stop herself from looking at Shisui, and she is caught in his warm gaze. They're both trapped between happiness and disbelief, but enjoy the unfamiliar ride all the same.

Fugaku can clearly see the stars in his daughter's midnight eyes, and a single glance can confirm that those same stars glitter in Shisui as well. Against his will, a minuscule grin breaks free of his stone mask for the world to see.

For once in his life, he doesn't have to worry about his little girl. His princess has found her prince, and though Fugaku knows better, he lets himself whimsically believe in fairytales, and everyone knows that they always live happily ever after.

But as Fugaku knows deep down, fairytales are merely dreams, and this is reality. He does not foresee the two young ones to have a simple life, but never in a million years would he expect what actually transpires to be what tears them apart.


	3. Chapter 3

Shisui is distracted. Truly, he doesn't even notice that fact until the kunai whistling his way rips through the high collar of his shirt.

He blinks once blankly at the torn fabric, before balking at Itachi as if it is _his_ fault for the close call, which it kind of is, considering, "We agreed no weapons!"

"Pay attention, then," Itachi admonishes with a hidden grin.

Shisui scratches the back of his head sheepishly. It's not his fault he can't do that. It's _her's_.

He throws his playful glare towards Kokuro, who's mouth puckers as she fights a coy smile. His gaze is accusatory, but she has no qualms taking blame. Indeed, she was purposeful in catching his eye. It's only fair, since he was distracting her first.

Though her and her girei sensei are having their lesson on the deck, it's too easy to have her thoughts derailed by the boys having a spar on the lake's surface. Kokuro has already gotten a scolding when she openly ogled Shisui for standing on water, and again when he performed a truly impressive aerial stunt. Since then, she has kept her attentions discreet enough to avoid reprimand, lest her sensei demand a change in location, and that was the last thing she wanted.

So far so good, and it helps that Kokuro is outdoing herself in grace this day. Her sensei is impressed, and Kokuro is showered with praise. Though it feels good, it is not nearly as good as the comforting weight of Shisui's eyes.

That alone keeps her dancing to nature's song. She sways with the wind as the trees do, and glides to the water's constantly moving tide. Her gilded fan opens with a _zip_, and she uses it to shield her blushing face like a flower too demure to bloom - the light reflecting from the precious metal melding with the glow of afternoon sunshine.

Shisui did not expect his focus to be so easily diverted when he agreed to practice alongside his sparring partner's younger sister. But when she appeared, he knew this training session would be difficult. Her silk kimono is a stunning ombre of crimson to gold with a vibrant shade of orange between them - making her look dangerously aflame, yet as alluring as a rose.

Shisui has long stopped moving. He watches her dance to the sound of the wind and birds, and he is mesmerized. Itachi gives up on having a real spar today, and takes his leave with a good natured shake of his head. Shisui barely manages to notice, but can't find it in him to stop his friend.

When Kokuro ends her performance, she is facing him in her finishing pose. Her eyes shine as she smiles shyly behind her fan, and Shisui grins wide in return at her bashfulness, wondering how she can put on such a lovely display and be embarrassed by it.

"Because that was so exquisite, I will end practice for today," her sensei drawls with a knowing smirk. She sends Kokuro a single raised eyebrow before taking her leave without another word. Kokuro reddens further at her sensei's suggestive look, and turns back to find Shisui standing much closer than before.

He is at the edge of the dock - still atop the water - and he holds out his arms to her. Kokuro almost shakes her head in denial, the thought of him carrying her gives her such embarrassment, but his assuring grin promises that it will be alright.

Shisui wiggles his fingers playfully, and with his silent urging, she hops from the deck with a giggle, and let's the air rush from her lungs when she lands in his arms. Her nose tingles when she tastes woods and campfire on the inhale - Shisui's scent.

She's so distracted by his smell, she jolts in shock when he starts running - taking to the trees - and she almost yelps inelegantly. She's never moved this fast in her life on the ground, let alone in the trees! Slightly afraid, she wraps her arms around his broad shoulders for stability.

"Silly Kokuro," his laughter can be heard over the rushing wind in her ears, "Do you think I would drop you?"

Kokuro looks up at him versus the very far away ground, and grows so hot at his words she fears she may faint. The wind cools her cheeks and keeps her from growing dizzy, but she wishes he wouldn't tease her so. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before she keels over in shyness.

"No," she replies timidly.

"Good," he continues, "You know I'm always here to catch you, anyway."

Unable to stand his eyes on her cherry red face, she tucks it away into his chest. A chuckle rumbles through him, and she sighs at the soothing sound, breathing in his smokey scent.

The young shinobi is so skilled that Kokuro does not feel any jolt when they stop moving. When the wind ceases to run through her loose strands, she realizes they have touched ground again, and she looks out at her new surroundings.

Sunset approaches, but she's glad it hasn't yet come. There's always been something about the pale blue sky that Kokuro has always adored, and at the cliffside above Nakano River, she's never seen so much sky in one place. Her jaw would have fallen open had she not been trying to look composed, but she manages to give the shinobi holding her a happy look.

Shisui accepts her silent thanks with a nod, and sets her down on her small feet. Immediately, she begins moving, and he follows as she walks further to one of the earth's many edges. The grass fades into dirt, and that fades into hard rock. Kokuro wearily tests the ground beneath her by slowly putting her full weight onto one foot. When she deems it sturdy, she makes her way further to look down the side of the world.

One peek has her head reeling (this is so much higher than a tree!), and she jumps backwards into Shisui with a squeak, cursing her curiosity. The young man's hands hold her shoulders so gently, and he chuckles in her ear, "I would still catch you."

She attempts to hide the blush in her sleeves, and turns away from him and the cliffside. Something akin to butterfly wings beat on her insides, and she can't escape the feeling, but she's unsure if she even wants to. Trying to calm her racing heart, she says, "Show me again. Those flips you did earlier."

Rarely does he show off for simple praise, but Shisui finds himself excited to do so for the starstruck eyes that watch in this moment. "Alright," he grins, "Don't blink."

And he takes to the air. He puts on a display for his very important audience of one - leaping higher and spinning faster than is probably necessary, but the clapping of little hands and awed titters leave him feeling like a bird free of a cage, and he flies higher in the pretty, blue sky to please her. He lands his final tumble without a curl out of place before he insists, "Dance for me."

Boasting their talents turns into one-upping the other with silly stories, which turns into simply talking. They waste time that way, but it doesn't feel like such a waste. Shisui is enraptured as he learns about Kokuro, and Kokuro can listen to his soothing voice all day and all night, which is what she would be doing if they didn't get home soon.

The sun is setting, and dinner is probably almost ready. Fugaku and Mikoto would soon be wondering where their daughter is. Drawing their day to a close, Shisui begrudgingly stands from his seat at the cliffside, and offers his hand to the raven haired girl so she can do the same.

Kokuro marvels at how rough his larger hands are compared to her own, and is surprised when she is steady on her feet, yet he does not release her fingers. She peeks up at him through her lashes, and her breathing sputters to a stop.

With the pink and lavender clouds swirling together in a golden sky as a backdrop, Shisui has never looked like such a work of art. The gentle hues soften his sharper features, and he reminds her of something like a dark angel. Running her finger over a callous grown from holding weapons, Kokuro remembers that this warrior really is dark in more ways than his looks. But with his eyes as warm as the setting sun, he can't be anything but an angel - _her _angel.

She takes a single step closer.

Shisui gulps. It isn't the silkiness of her thin fingers, or the setting sun caressing her pretty face, but the adoration he sees in her eyes that makes him weak in the knees. He's important to many people - the Hokage, his teammates, his clan - but he's never been so humbled by someone's gaze. That is the power Kokuro holds over him, and he gladly gives that to her. With Kokuro he doesn't have to think about failing missions, or watch his back. She's never been interested in anything but Shisui the human, not Shisui the tool, and he never knew he could just be a boy and enjoy it so much.

He takes a single step closer.

Slowly, like the stars making their way into the purpling sky, Shisui leans forward. Kokuro stills, but her eyes fall shut in waiting. It feels like an eternity goes by before their lips meet, but when they do, it almost feels too sudden. His lips are chapped and her hands tremble. She's pretty sure a strand of her hair is caught between them, and there's no doubt in his mind that he tastes of his earlier meal at Yakiniku Q.

It's perfect.

They don't pull away. They hold the chaste kiss and just enjoy sharing a special moment with a special person. When they can take the flutters no longer, they break apart only for Kokuro to hide her face with a giggle, and Shisui to laugh off his nerves as well.

His laughter fades when thin arms wrap around his waist cautiously. A warmth settles around his heart, and he embraces the girl around her crimson clad shoulders.

_Maybe sunset isn't so bad_, Kokuro ponders as the golden orb dips below the horizon at last. She watches dreamily as it goes, listening to the rapid heartbeat of the young man she leans against.

Slyly, Kokuro takes another whiff of him, indulging in the smell of campfire. She smiles at that, because it's close, but wrong. Shisui may give the comfort of a cozy campfire, but he is truly a forest fire - unignorable, and undeniable. He has unknowingly taken all of her for himself, and she feels her very heart become encompassed in flame the longer she is in his presence. The magnitude of her attachment is almost frightening, but she will not hide from this love. Her eyelids slide shut as she accepts whatever fate awaits her at the center of this inferno, and she is gladly, wholly consumed by the blaze.

She holds him tighter still, and his heart gallops. Shisui hopes if Kokuro can hear it, that she won't mention it, because he does not want to explain why. Of course, it flutters from the excitement of the moment, but it also pounds from the dread of the unknown future.

Today has shown him how much he truly cares about Kokuro. He always knew how much he cherished the girl, but never realized how much he cherished her mere innocence. Never has she held a weapon, never has she threatened another human being, nor has she ever felt the fear of what it is like to be the one in danger. Her wide trusting eyes knows that he is a warrior, but can't imagine what has been done unto others with the hands she holds between hers, doesn't understand that looking into his eyes without fear is a privilege very few can experience. And now he has truly realized how close she is to losing that purity that he adores so much.

Lost in just being a boy, Shisui nearly forgot what he has become - a shinobi - and in turn he also forgot the perils he has no choice but to face as one.

While he and Kokuro ate sweets and played games, the very ones she trusts to keep her safe have been brewing danger, and he can no longer pretend that it isn't happening. In all of that fun, he has unintentionally separated Kokuro from the very reality of their clan.

His brethren are in a state of unrest. The villagers are in danger of a civil war, and Shisui worries for his country, but now he worries greatly for the faultless girl dressed in flame in his arms. He and Itachi cannot fail. For their own sakes, for the Land of Fire, for the honor of their clan, and for the people they love. His arms tighten around slender shoulders, and he steels his resolve.

He cannot let his Kokuro be lost to this clan's hate.

o0o

"Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," Itachi says from the entryway.

Kokuro has been trying to ignore what is being said at the door. It seems like clan business she has no interest in, but a part of her will always be nosy. Knowledge is power, as her father would say. It's that teaching she blames for listening in half heartedly while she helps her mother spruce up the house - cleaning the kitchen while Mikoto tends the living room, no doubt snooping in on the conversation just as much as her daughter.

"Alright," the clan member grunts to her brother. "But before that, we would like to ask you a bit more about something." The hint of suspicion laced in his voice has Kokuro pausing, her hands full of plates freeze as she now listens intently to the man suggestively pointing fingers at her big brother.

_How dare he_, she bristles before even knowing what is being accused, not that it matters, because it is not deserved! Her Onii-chan has been having a tough time as of late, if the bags under his eyes are anything to go by. The last thing he needs is something like this from his own clan.

Those thoughts are forgotten when the man continues without any more preamble, and says bluntly, "It's about Uchiha Shisui, who died after throwing himself into Nakano River last night."

Kokuro jerks, something hollow somehow constricting her lungs in an instant, and that is the only sensation she knows. She doesn't hear the plates burst upon impact with the floor. She does not register the pain in her feet as she stumbles upon the fragments when her vision spins and fades, nor the stabbing in her legs and hands when her knees give out. She tries to question what the man just said, but her mouth rebels against the word - gagging against it.

_Dead._

Impossible. He wouldn't. Suicide? Never!..

Would he?

In some way, it makes sickening sense. The only thing that can truly kill a forest fire is itself, the only proof it was even there left as the complete devastation of all that had been consumed.

And she is no exception.

Her vision is black. She can't hear a single sound. There may as well not be glass marring the ivory flesh of her knees and palms - there is no pain there. She doesn't feel herself slipping on her own blood on her kitchen floor, or the tears fall from her cheeks to be eaten by the rapidly growing crimson puddle beneath her. The only thing she feels is the cold ice setting into her core. There is no longer a fire to keep her warm.

Except...yes. She suddenly feels a fuzziness deep in her throat. Whatever it is, she snatches at the feeling, desperate for _something_. As she focuses, it changes from a low level itch into a scratching, raw sensation. It begins to sting, and then it burns like she's drinking scalding water, but cannot stop. The pain grows stronger, but she doesn't put it together that she's screaming, even as blood flecks on her untasting tongue.

She does not stop, because she still cannot hear it. There is nothing but the cold, and the burning pain in her throat is the only thing she has to fight against it. She cannot feel her mother's arms wrap around her, cannot hear the words that would never be enough to soothe her despair.

She screams as she _does _feel everything around her shatter - the walls, the tables, the roof - even further out - the trees, each blade of grass, the setting sun. Her world breaks, and the very ground splits wide to swallow her.

Kokuro falls, wailing, into the black.

o0o

Days later, Kokuro still whimpers in the darkness of her room.

Feeling her eyes fill with tears, she takes a deep breath. It was the only thing her mother could get through to her.

"Breathe, Dear, _breathe_," Mikoto said repeatedly until the girl finally ceased her anguished howling to gobble unsteady breaths. No one knows if her screams ended because of her mother's words, or if it was because her small body could take the throat tearing screams no more.

It doesn't seem important at the present time, because since then, Kokuro has refused to do anything but lie in bed and breathe. Food could be forced upon her, and her mother could bathe her daughter, but the broken girl would volunteer for nothing - the mental weight on her limbs far too heavy to fight.

If only this hurt would simply leave her! What had she done to bring such an unrelenting punishment upon herself? No one, not even the most vile being she can think of, could deserve this ache that carves a hole in her soul. Why does she have to endure it? Why can't she think of a way to make it all go away?

It seems to get worse when she relives good memories, but she can't stop. Her mind plays them on repeat, tickling her lost happiness, and torturing her with dead opportunities. Why can't she just forget it all?

She keens in sorrow again, writhing against the woe, because the one thing that would take away the pain for good, she cannot do. Give her the aches and despair for the rest of the millennia - she would rather drown a thousand times than forget her dear Shisui.

Since the news, a monster has claimed her heart for itself, and its ever present claws pierce their talons deeper at her declaration.

Now she can hear screaming. She knows she isn't screaming aloud, but she can hear it all the same. The cries of anguish bounce around in her head, and her doll like face grimaces at the cacophony. It doesn't even sound like her own voice. Instead, it sounds like many different tones that wail on endlessly in a chorus that chills her bones.

Perhaps, it isn't her shouts. If that is so, it must be the voices that tortured her these past few nights.

_It's your fault._

_Why didn't you notice something was wrong?_

_And you thought you knew him!_

_Suicide._

They whisper horrible things that keep her awake when she is tired, and give her nightmares when she is finally asleep. Now they taunt her when she is wide awake by crying out the pain she tries to smother.

She does not know how long they howl on, just that it feels like an eternity. When they finally subside to make way for a cold, oppressive silence, she begins to wonder if the screams were really in her head at all, because for the first time in days something is telling her to move.

The urge is primal, like a fly that flails when caught in a spider's web, and she follows the call, albeit sluggishly. As a zombie rises from the dead, she slowly sits upright and looks around the room with no expression, still unsure if she truly needs to be concerned.

As she searches for what gives her unease, she hears a murmuring on the other side of the door. It seems further than the hallway, and she places whoever to be speaking inside the living room. The voices continue to talk quietly before there are two thuds that she feels distantly vibrate the floor, and then silence reigns.

A chill drags down her spine, and then straight back up.

The sudden sensations shatter the fragile cage that kept her somewhat safe inside her own head, and she is left vulnerable to the feelings of danger that soon overwhelm her. Her body is shaking as she leaves the purple and red blankets onto a frigid floor that immediately gives her goosebumps, and her feet weakly drag her towards the door where she senses a storm awaits on the other side. Call it foolish of the girl, but it isn't in her Uchiha genes to wait for the threat to find her. Fear can hardly hold her anymore, because she knows of nothing on this earth that could hurt her as much as Shisui's passing.

At the thought, small hands clutch at her shirt front as pain stabs through her chest, and she takes a steadying breath to ease it.

_No_, she decides, _nothing can hurt worse than that_.

She truly believes this, until she apprehensively makes her way out of her bedchambers, and into the moonlit living room she can no longer recognize.

Her reaction to the sight of her slain parents is not like that of when Shisui died. Kokuro is overcome with a blankness that makes her near catatonic. She becomes stone, locked in place staring at their bodies that lie on top of one another in the center of a crimson pool. At realizing her left big toe has landed in a spot of their splattered blood, she still can't do anything but stare.

But where her energy left her over time when she was told of Shisui, she is steadily growing panicked the longer her wide eyes stay locked onto her mother and father's gray faces. When the figure that must be their attacker stands from his slight crouch over their corpses, and turns to face her, she loses all hold she has of her sanity.

"_Onii-chan?!"_

Her brother's features are void of any emotion, and a fear unlike any other seizes Kokuro by the heart.

_Run, _it bellows, but she is rooted to the spot, even still unable to move her foot from the blood soaking into the floor.

So strong is her initial fear that she can only see the red that is slung across Itachi's pale skin and the weapon in his grasp. The darkness surrounding him seems to grow blacker as he takes measured steps in her direction, and her heart picks up its rabbit sprint pace with each one. Yet, when he comes forward into the moonlight, she can see the tears clearing tracks through the blood on his cheeks, and the way his hands tremble around the hilt of his katana. Then she can _see_ him - her sweet, caring big brother under all the gore and death.

Confusion arises amidst her heartache. Itachi isn't capable of something like this. The hands that have gently wiped away her tears in the past are holding a sword coated in their parents' life essence. The face that has always looked like a gentler version of their father's is rock hard. And his normally kind, coal irises are blank and unblinking, despite their leaking, as he stares down at her calculatingly.

_What's happening?_

This isn't right. This doesn't make sense! Her brother's eyes are emotionless, but one person can never know another the way a sister can her brother, and she _knows_ he is devastated by what he has done. But Itachi does not speak, and she begins to understand that he means to keep her unaware.

Her life, her perspective, and her future has been contorted in such a rapid fashion that she gives up completely on attempting to figure it out. She is lost. So her now polluted, broken mind reverts to simpler times, and does as she always did when she was younger and scared - she throws her arms up, palms open.

Kokuro reaches for her brother who's covered in shadow and blood, and Itachi cannot stop his body from gravitating towards her simultaneous plea and offer for comfort. He takes her dainty hands in his trembling palms, and silently presses her knuckles to his red stained cheeks - eyes falling shut.

His tremors and silent tears both travel down Kokuro's slender arms and constrict her heart ever tighter, causing her to act on instinct again, and she speaks before even realizing she is doing so.

"Breathe."

And he does, ignoring the devastating ache that rocks his core as he hears the word in his mother's voice. Long, deep, and growing steadier, Itachi gathers himself with every ragged breath. When his inhalations calm to an even pace, Kokuro cannot help but ask, "Will I die, too?"

It breaks what is left of his heart to hear the fear in his little sister's sweet voice. He wants to answer, to take away her distress and just tell her, "No! You and Sasuke will live!" But he needs her to believe he has changed for the worst.

Because she has glimpsed Itachi's weakness, her perspective will be very different from the one Itachi planned to leave with Sasuke. But their little brother cannot have any knowledge of what his sister saw of Itachi tonight. If there ends up being a shred of doubt, and Sasuke believes that Itachi is not a threat, both of his younger siblings will be in danger from the only place that can keep them safe.

There are not supposed to be any Uchiha left alive inside Fire Country tonight, and Itachi plans on leaving two. He has strong faith that Hokage-sama will keep his brother and sister safe if he pleads enough, but because he broke composure in front of his sister, his original plan's end goal is now hanging by a single thread.

He wants to curse, to spit at the unfairness. His and Shisui's strategies were slaved over for many sleepless nights just to be violently uprooted one moment before they could be executed. The clan's mistrust, Danzo's interference, and then Shisui's death... Itachi had to create a new way on his own, and now they were once again thwarted at a pivotal moment.

By no means was this night supposed to be easy, but Kokuro was supposed to be the least difficult part. With the state she's been in since Shisui's death, it was supposed to be a matter of simple genjutsu. She was meant to sleep, to never see the horror house that her home became, and dream of Shisui to wake with new resolve to be there for Sasuke in the aftermath of the massacre. But now, little Kokuro is at the epicenter of a dilemma that Itachi is ashamed to admit he did not foresee as a possibility.

But there is hope yet, because he knows the Mangekyou Sharingan has the power to erase the very memory from Kokuro's mind. But can he wield that massive power as such a novice, and leave his civilian sister whole?

Whether he believes he can or not, he has to try. Because if Itachi cannot erase the memory before he is out of time, he will have to send Kokuro to Shisui's spirit, and her sleep will be eternal. That decision brings new tears to his eyes and raises bile up his throat, but he will save one of his siblings tonight before he allows them both to die.

Quickly, to keep the panic from surfacing again, Itachi commands, "Look into my eyes, Kokuro."

He lifts his head, and Kokuro does as she is told.

Onyx meets crimson, and the world around her swirls away as she is sucked into the black spiraling of the Mangekyou Sharingan. She can do nothing but stare as Itachi tries his damndest to at least block tonight's memory of himself from his little sister's head.

He feels it right away - a door that needs to be closed - a chest that has to be shut - a switch that must be flipped. His goal is narrowing to a single specific task, yet becoming harder to pinpoint.

_Almost_, he urges himself. _Just a little more. Focus. For Okaa-san and Otou-san's last wish. For Shisui's hope. For Kokuro and Sasuke's future, focus._

Kokuro is unaware of her brother's inner turmoil. She is too busy trying to figure out where she is - floating in darkness with absolutely nothing in sight. This darkness is not ominous, even though there isn't a shred of light to let her see her own hands. Perhaps it's because something about the cloudy shadows is familiar.

But that makes little sense. There's nothing here with her in the dark to recognize, yet it manages to feel safe, protective.

_Like Itachi._

Before she can think any further on that, she is suddenly no longer alone. She can't see anyone, but she knows they are here. Their presence is overwhelming in a way that her smile couldn't be stopped if you threatened her life, because that aura is familiar too, but in unignorable, undeniable ways.

Her surroundings change, but even though the darkness is gone, she still does not see anyone. Yet it isn't necessary to see to know who has arrived, because she now floats in a sea of pinky purples and golden oranges, and there is a smell of wildfire.

A brush of rough fingertips on the back of her hand.

A painfully sweet joining of her lips with a phantom.

And a flame relit in her heart.

Kokuro does not fret when the darkness comes back stronger than before, or when it begins to encroach on her consciousness. The fire in her chest that she thought she would never feel again is strong, and she believes she can hear him, her Shisui, promising everything will be okay.

_Sleep._


End file.
